Students to accelerate studies with $45k windfall

For the first time, the QCoal Foundation has awarded not only its annual $30,000 scholarship, but three additional bursaries to JCU students.

Scholarship recipient and Speech Pathology student Taylor Dockerty joins Veterinary Science student Billie Cummings from Atherton, Education student Emily Wright from Sarina and Geology student Jade Shearer from Cairns, who have each received a one-off $5000 bursary from the Foundation.

Ms Dockerty, who hails from Emerald, said she was thrilled to have received the scholarship, which provides $30,000 over three years to ease the financial pressures associated with her studies.

“The scholarship will help push me even further to succeed and do the best I can in my classes,” the 18-year-old said.

“Now living six hours away in Townsville, I definitely needed something to make that transition smoother, and when I read the application criteria for the scholarship, it was all about giving back to your rural community which is exactly what I have planned when I finish my degree.

“I believe in, and advocate for, bringing more Allied Health professionals to the regions because those communities really need them.”

Ms Dockerty said she was inspired to study speech pathology after witnessing how hard it was for a family member to find a speech pathologist in Emerald.

“The shortest waitlist was three months and they needed early intervention so we couldn’t afford to be waiting that long,” she said.

“I don’t want other families to go through the lengthy process we had to in order to get a speech pathologist in Emerald or the surrounding regions.”

Ms Dockerty encouraged future school leavers who were passionate about giving back to their community to apply for the scholarship.

“Put yourself out there and sell yourself as best you can,” she said.

QCoal Foundation CEO Sylvia Bhatia said the board and team at the Foundation were extremely impressed by the calibre of applicants vying for this year’s scholarship and the overall quality of students from regional and remote Queensland choosing a regional option for their tertiary studies.

“We are very pleased Taylor has accepted the scholarship and, in recognition of the exceptionally high-quality field of applicants, we wanted to provide three significant bursaries,” Ms Bhatia said.

“We are also very aware of the current cost of living pressures, which are typically amplified for students attending university from rural and remote areas.

“Our recipients are also studying in professions we know to be in high demand in regional and rural communities – speech pathology, teaching, geology, and vet science.

“In awarding the QCoal Foundation Scholarship, we assess the students’ aspirations to return to work in the regions after graduation. This is why we continue to partner with JCU as the data shows their alumni are highly likely to pursue careers in regional and remote communities after graduation.”

Ms Bhatia said the Foundation was proud to support the students and continued to track the career progression of previous recipients, many of whom are now working in regional, rural and remote areas.

“We congratulate and send our best wishes to all applicants – the future of the regions is in safe hands,” she said.